


Coffee Shops and Rail Cars

by a123



Category: Victoria (TV)
Genre: F/M, Modern AU, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-20 13:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8250161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a123/pseuds/a123
Summary: A coffee shop Vicbourne AU





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the TV series or any of the characters in Victoria

Victoria sighed as she turned the page on the report she was working on. It seemed like it would never end. It was a Sunday, and she had brought the papers to work on at her favorite coffee shop, Rooks and Crannies. She had discovered it when she was in law school, and always got a lot of work done here. The atmosphere was cozy, plus she was convinced their cappuccinos helped her pass the bar.

Her boss, Mr. Conroy, liked to give her meaningless tasks, such as the current one she was working on. A 90 page policy about municipal waste that she was supposed to check over for grammar, and make any revisions or additions that she saw fit. Any additions that she did make were always looked over by Conroy, and he never kept any of them. He always said it was because the "policy is just fine the way it is," but she knew he didn't want her to advance because he liked using her as his personal secretary. How was she supposed to make any kind of a difference if he didn't give her a chance?

She groaned and smacked her head on the table. This was pointless. I hate Conroy, she thought. I hate him and his stupid face and this stupid policy and the stupid -

"You look like you could use this."

Victoria lifted her head as someone placed a steaming mug of something down in front of her. 

"What is it?" she asked. It smelled heavenly.

"A chai tea latte with a dash of vanilla and a little bit of butterscotch, only to be drunk in times of desperation and angst" the man said with a wink.

Victoria laughed. "Thank you, sir. How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching for her bag.

"No please, it's on the house. You come in often enough that you should have some type of benefit," he said with a laugh. 

Victoria blushed a little. "I can't even argue with that, because I would be lying. Your drinks are always the best, and your wifi is always fast," she said with a smile.

He laughed. "You flatter me, ma'm. Enjoy your latte," he said, starting to walk away.

"Wait! I didn't catch your name!"

"It's Melbourne, William Melbourne," he said.

"I'm Victoria," she said, sticking out her hand to him. He shook it, and Victoria lost herself a little in his eyes. What a handsome, handsome man, she thought.

Victoria came into the coffee shop more frequently after that. William would always seem to know when she was going to come in, and always had a fresh cappuccino waiting for her. The café was never exceedingly busy, so he would often join her at her table. They talked about everything from politics to what was on TV the night before. They shared music and books with one another, and discovered they had a mutual love for the Food Network. She found out that he liked stargazing and birdwatching, and he let her rant about her job. He always offered very helpful advice on how to get her pumpkin-headed coworkers to listen to her. 

"How come I haven't seen you in the café before recently?" she asked him one day. She had been trying to remember if she had seen him before the day he gave her the latte and came up with nothing. She definitely would have remembered seeing those green eyes.

"I was needed elsewhere. My friend Emma took over the management for a bit while I dealt with some personal matters," he answered, not looking at her.

"What were those matters?" she asked, curiosity winning over politeness.

William looked up at her, and she saw sadness in his expression. He took in a shaky breath, and told her everything. He told her that he had a son, and that he had been diagnosed with cancer a year ago. He told her how it was hard on his wife, and that she left him and his son for another man, and how his son had died four months later.

"Oh, William, I don't even know what to say," Victoria said softly, placing her hand on top of his.

The bell on the door rang and a customer walked in. William quickly removed his hand from hers and stood up. 

"I have to make a drink," he said, clearing his throat and walking behind the counter.

The café got busy then, and Victoria had to leave before they could talk again.

When she came back into the coffee shop a couple days later, they didn't mention his past, but fell back into their normal routine of coffee and conversation. Victoria found herself looking forward to seeing him, and her heart always sped up just a little bit whenever she saw him.

They had only known each other for six months, but Victoria knew she was in love with William Melbourne. There was no point in denying it. She loved every little bit about him. She loved their debates, how he challenged her intellectually, how he wasn't afraid to tease her every now and then, his gorgeous cheekbones, and his unending kindness. He was so supportive of her, in every sense of the word. When she told him the story of how she told her mother she wanted to be a lawyer and that her mother said she would never get into law school, he was so upset that he couldn't think straight for the rest of the day. He automatically gave everyone black coffee that came into the shop.

"I have to go away for a week," he told her one day. 

Her stomach dropped. "A whole week? Where are you going?" 

"Brighton. There's been a mix up with my supplier, and I have to sort out the mess in person," he said, rolling his eyes. He had often complained at the incompetence of his coffee supplier, and it seems that they messed up big time.

"Do you really mean to forsake me? How am I supposed to get my caffeine?" she joked, trying to cover up how panicked she felt at the thought of not seeing him for an entire week.

He laughed. "I'm sure you will manage without this old man's brew for a week."

"You are not so old, William," she said softly, looking up into his eyes.

They held each other's gaze. The air around them was electric. William opened his mouth to say something, and Victoria held her breath. 

And then a customer walked in.

They both snapped heads at the man and then looked back at each other. The moment was gone, and what was left was awkward.

"I will see you in a week then, William," Victoria said hurriedly, gathering up her things.

"Of course. I will send you a postcard!" William said, just a bit too loudly.

She smiled and quickly walked out of the shop, violently cursing the customer in her mind.

The week without William seemed to drag on forever. Not only was she without caffeine, but Conroy was more infuriating than usual. He kept giving her policies about rat control in the tubes, even though he was fully aware of her aversion to them. Her whole world felt off kilter, and she didn't know how she was able to function before she met him.

Conroy had sent her out to ride the rail lines to see which lines needed the most pest control. She was had two more stops to assess and then she was done, thank God, when she heard a familiar voice call out her name.

"Victoria!" 

It was William Melbourne on the rail car that had just pulled in, waving at her through the dirty window.

"William!" she cried out, running on the train to him. It was crowded but they managed to maneuver through the crowds of people to meet one another.

Suddenly, the rail car lurched forward without warning, and Victoria fell face first into William's chest. William, for his part, had reached out to attempt Victoria from falling and had put both his arms around her waist so they were locked in a very sudden, very intimate embrace.

"Goodness! Are you alright?" William asked with a small chuckle, stopping when his eyes met hers.

She looked up into his eyes, and her breath caught in her throat. Everything that had happened since he left now melted away as she felt his arms around her, supporting her.

"I am now," she breathed.

The rail car eventually became less crowded, but they remained how they were, lost in each other's eyes, until Victoria missed her stop and had to switch lines.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something cute and fun for them, I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading :)


End file.
